What is Coyote

 

 

Founded in 2010 Coyote RI (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics) is a local and national coalition of current and former sex workers and sex trafficking survivors advocating for policy for increased safety in the sex industry. We are working together with supporting networks for an improved understanding of sexual policies and it’s human, social and political impacts of criminalization surrounding global policies in sex work.  Our priorities are to build local leadership to effect national and worldwide shifts by constructively advocating for sex workers’ human, health, labor, and civil rights. We commit ourselves to the tenets of human rights and base our foundations upon equality, empowerment, and agency, that bring those voices into constructive and productive leadership roles in the sex worker rights movements and umbrella issues unique to sex work. We advocate for the full decriminalization of all forms of consensual sex work. We envision a future when we can all, as former and current sex workers access equal protection under the law or other public services without discrimination. To that end, we work towards changing the social perception and reducing stigma through educational outreach.

Records- Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women- Coyote RI Survey Collection

MISSION STATEMENT

Coyote is a coalition of current, and former sex workers and survivors, working together with supporting networks for an improved understanding of sexual policies and the human, social, and political impacts of criminalization surrounding sex work.  Our priorities are building local, regional, and national leadership to constructively advocate sex workers’ human, health, labor, and civil rights.  We commit ourselves to the tenets of human rights and base our foundations upon equality, empowerment, and agency, to bring those voices into constructive and productive leadership roles in the sex worker rights movements and umbrella issues unique to sex workers.  

OUR HISTORY

Coyote (Call Off Your Old Tired Ethics)  was founded by Margo St. James,  in 1973 to work for the repeal of the prostitution laws and an end to the stigma associated with sex work. In addition to engaging in public education regarding a wide range of issues related to prostitution, COYOTE has provided crisis counseling, support groups, and referrals to legal and other service providers to thousands of prostitutes, mostly women. COYOTE members have also testified at government hearings, served as expert witnesses in trials, helped police with investigations of crimes against prostitutes, and provided sensitivity training to government and private non-profit agencies that provide services to prostitutes.

For more information, read our article Coyote Strategies

Records of Coyote, 1962-1989   FOUND IN Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute